News

May 12, 2017 Many thanks to all of my
Opto-Key
customers. I had sold out of Opto-key kits so invested in more parts and have just completed a fresh build of both MIDI and Non-MIDI kits.

I therefore have built and tested kits boxed and ready to go.

July, 2014 MIDI bugs Some MIDI issues were present in the units sold by Kevin
which I have developed hardware and firmware fixes for. In order to keep
the products reputation high I have been updating and testing these
previously sold units for the cost of parts & shipping (so a very low cost
of a few dollars in the USA). Contact me if you want to send me the main
card for rework.

March 25, 2014As I'm also a software developer with experience in embedded systems I plan to enhance and support Opto-key moving forward. I'm really excited by this!

March 25, 2014
As a tech I'm increasingly frustrated with the chore of trying to restore the (oxidized) key contacts on the MiniMoog to full operation, and unless it is frequently played the issue
of "squirrelly keys" comes back.

I have been installing Opto-key for my customers which removes the key
cleaning cycle, AND adds note-on/off
MIDI. Please see below for cost, shipping, and installation charge
information.

I was concerned and saddened to hear that Kevin Lightner at
Synthfool could not continue the Opto-key project
as it addresses the biggest reliability/playability issue with the MiniMoog, and have negotiated with him to
transfer ownership here.

Once the on-hand materials such as circuit cards arrive I will commence building the product to Kevin's spec and make it available for sale.

This Old Synth's "Synthfool Opto-Key"

If you landed here looking for the Opto-key upgrade for MiniMoog's then you
came to the right place, welcome! The Opto-Key replaces the original mechanical contacts with infrared light sensors.
No more contact cleaning or wear.
Plays exactly like the original. Take a look at the
Opto-key Install Guide to make sure you are comfortable installing it
yourself; alternatively get a Tech to do it for you, or of course you can
send it to me.

Why Opto-key?
As a tech I'm increasingly frustrated with the chore of trying to restore the (oxidized) key contacts on the MiniMoog to full operation, and unless it is frequently played the issue
of "squirrelly keys" comes back. It is really hard to
get them
right, and a constant service cost for the MiniMoog owner. Opto-key
resolves this by replacing an entire stock contact board (made of springs
and buss bars) with a super high-quality optical sensor system.

No change to Mini playability except smoother playing since there's no more springs to pull across
buss-bars.

More even key depth sensing than most vintage Minis.

Eliminates the common "siren" problem associated with problem contacts.

Only product that provides both MIDI IN *and* MIDI OUT from a Model D's keyboard.
You can actually play directly into a sequencer or play any other MIDI synth.

Status LED indicates key down and on-board beeper indicates power on self-test.

Opto-Key Kit Cost Opto-Key is labor intensive ( 3
3/4 hr build per kit) and parts cost is high, so the price is the same as
when Kevin sold them. The two options are:

Opto-Key MIDI $595. This adds MIDI-In and MIDI-Out to Opto-Key and supports Note-On and Note-Off.
MIDI connection is via a cable which hangs out of the case rear that is terminated with quality 5-pin DIN MIDI connectors.
Internally it plugs into the keyboard Cinch-Jones connector in place of the original key contact strip.
No drilling, soldering, or case modification is required.

Opto-Key non-MIDI $495

InstallationYour MiniMoog must be in overall good condition
before considering installation of an Opto-Key.
We recommend your keyboard first be cleaned, lubed and have new rubber bushings installed prior to installation of an Opto-Key.

Installing both the bushings and an Opto-Key at the same time is highly recommended, as it's much easier to install both products together.
The install process is detailed in
the
Opto-key Install Guide.

The kit is designed for customer install, but
if you are not comfortable with the procedure after reading the Install
Guide then engage a Tech to do it for you. Alternatively you can ship your
MiniMoog or its keyboard to me and I will perform the upgrade.

Installation by me I will strip the key-deck, remove the old key
contact assembly (returned to customer if wanted), remove old bushings if
new ones are to be fitted (new bushings are an extra $42), clean the
key-deck, align key posts, install and align Opto-key, hand-clean and
refit keys, then test. There is a standard charge of 3 hours ($60/hr) for
this so $180, or $222 with new bushings supplied. Note that the MiniMoog
has to be tuned and scaled afterwards as the CV is now more accurate than
before. You can send me your key-deck for this work to be carried out and
then the shipping charge becomes the cost of shipping it back to you.

Shipping Worldwide shipping via USPS Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box. Priority
Mail is $24 for the USA, and they charge $74 for most non-US countries
shipped to Canada looks to be $53. I purchase shipping insurance when
available (included in above rates).

Customs Declarations We will not lie on insurance,
duty, import, VAT or customs forms. We are not responsible for any customs
fees or taxes a buyer may be charged by their country. Do not buy if you cannot afford such possible charges as we cannot estimate them beforehand.

Payment by PayPal only to a verified PayPal address.

Docs I have not updated them to This Old Synth format
yet, but realize folks will be looking for the docs so here they are:
Opto-key Install Guide

Some
Customer Feedback
"After a couple days of sitting meditating I decided to do the job myself,
and to my great surprise everything went well (= I did not manage to break it) and the system is working superbly!"

"This Opto-Key is really a godsend!"

"The Opto-Key seems like an excellent product so far. Haven't tried MIDI yet, but even without it this kit seems worth the price."

"Hey Chris, the synth arrived in perfect shape. Plays great, what a difference in response with new bushings. Opto-key works great, I can tell the response time is quicker/more accurate.

Lastly, just want to say it was a pleasure working with you. I am hoping to get many more enjoyable
years out of the Model D now that is back and actually even better then new.

Peter Carbonaro"

A Little History
Kevin Lightner developed a top rate solution for the weak point on the
Moog MiniMoog, the key contact assembly. Adding MIDI capabilities to this
solution enhanced it greatly. When Kevin's health deteriorated to the
point where he could no longer assemble these units he contacted me and we
transferred the project complete to This Old Synth. I have further
enhanced it and give release history etc. below.

Transfer
to This Old Synth In In
March 2014 acquired exclusive rights to
Synthfool's Opto-key for MiniMoog project and Kevin’s Opto-Key build environment
was transferred from Synthfool to This Old Synth. The components, software,
circuit boards etc. arrived and assembly commenced.
I can also install onto your MiniMoog if you send either the complete unit
or just the
keyboard. I return the original key contact assembly to
customers when I fit Opto-key, and suggest this is kept safely and
supplied with your MiniMoog should you ever sell it just in case the new
owner is crazy enough to want to go back to the original configuration!
:-)

Release History Hardware Ver
1.1:
The original hardware version from Kevin was 1.1 and I have had circuit boards made using the same artwork.
If you would like to have your hardware updated it is possible to remove
your mainboard and ship it to me for to incorporate the 1.1b hardware
changes and to update the firmware to the latest level. The charge for
this is a little to cover the component costs and shipping.

Ver
1.1a:
Due to MIDI-In reliability issues surrounding the fact that a 4N25 Opto-coupler had been utilized
in the original design I
made component value changes to rectify this, along with developing software fixes(below). This hardware change
is indicated by a 1.1a sticker on the bottom right of the main board.

Ver 1.1b:
I'm currently shipping Opto-Key at H/W version 1.1b
which replaces the MIDI-In opto-coupler with the more industry standard 6N138
(the same chip as deployed in the SMD version).

SMD Version and Sensor Cards: I have been building sensor cards using the new circuit boards I had made.
The solder mask is red to differentiate them. They are the same design as the originals and high quality. I paid to
have the cards electrically tested by the manufacturer and can report that they work perfectly. I'm currently shipping
the original design mainboard with its DAC sub-board, and had more of these made (in green!). In the picture you can
see the surface mount version of Opto-Key I designed for an all red solution.
The surface mount (SMD)
version is fully working, but I need a (very expensive) Pick and
Place machine to build it with, so I'm not shipping this version at
present.

Firmware F/W
version 2.8:The final firmware version supplied by Kevin was ver
2.8 and is shown on the label attached to the CPU. Opto-Key firmware
is updated via replacement of the plug-in pre-programmed CPU. If you would
like to update your firmware to the latest level then contact me and we
will make it happen.

F/W version 2.9: This resolved software issues that affected MIDI stability
as mentioned in the hardware section.

F/W version 3.0: This introduced options for reset to default (MIDI-Out CH10, In CH9), or select MIDI Channel 1 to 15 with MIDI-In and MIDI-Out having the same channel number.

F/W version 3.0b: The option for High (default) and Low keyboard Priority has been added and applies to both the physical keyboard and the MIDI interface.
Key responsiveness has been further improved in this version, and the threshold pot now goes from minimum with no keys detected. This allows you to gradually increase the threshold setting to find the lowest setting where a note sounds
so you can finely adjust sensor gaps.

F/W version 3.0d A user with a Kronos controller was suffering hung notes. Investigating this showed it was transmitting MIDI Time Code ($F8). Turning off the transmission of MTC resolved the issue. This release filters message $F8 out in F/W. There is also a Beta release of Pitch Bend on MIDI input.
Please try this Beta feature and feedback your experience to
chris@thisoldsynth.com

F/W version 3.0g: The current version shipping is ver 3.0g:
Code tidied. MTC also sends Start/Stop/Continue messages ($FA/$FB/$FC) so
these have also been filtered out.

This Old Synth was created to bring a
reasonably priced vintage synthesizer restoration and repair service to
musicians in the bay area, and is located in Campbell, CA.